25 Questions for the Whole Enchilada

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What is their body of work?

Hard for it to be much better.  One regular season loss in 2 seasons, Orange Bowl berth last year followed up with an undefeated year this year.  They are the real deal.

How many seniors and juniors on the two-deep?

25, which is a low number for an undefeated team.

Who are their FBS statistical leaders?

Jordan Lynch #18 in All-purpose yards, #2 in points responsible for, #3 in rushing TDs, #3 in rushing yards, #7 in scoring, and #4 in total offense.
Jimmie Ward is #5 in interceptions.
Matthew Sims #15 in FGs and #9 in scoring.

ALL STATS BELOW CONFERENCE GAMES ONLY

What is their turnover ratio?

+8. #2 in the MAC, tied with BG.

Offense:

How big is the whole enchilada?
This big.

How is their QB Play?

Couldn't be much better.  Two-time MAC offensive player of the year, Lynch is 4th in pass efficiency in MAC and #1 in rushing yards.  Averages 7.7 yards per rush.

What is their scoring and yards per play?

Leads the MAC with 42.6 points per game and 7.4 yards per play.  Next best team had 6.8 yards per play.

Can they run the ball?

Of course, they can.  Beyond Lynch, Cameron Stingley averages 5.9 yards per carry.

Do they pass the ball?

They can.  They are 3rd in pass efficiency and 5th in pass yards per game.  They have two receivers averaging 16+ yards per reception and neither one is Tommylee Harris.

How is their run/pass balance?

They run on 63% runs, which is very high.

Do they convert on 3rd Down?

Yes.  Tied with BG for MAC lead at 49.5%

Do they score in the red zone?

With mind-boggling 44 trips in 8 games, they are getting 5.2 points per trip.

Do they protect the quarterback?

They have allowed only 5 sacks in 8 games.

Defense:

Topline: Scoring and yards per play.

They are very good...3rd in the MAC in scoring defense and #2 in yards per play allowed.

Diesel.  Because you can't hate
a dog.

Do they defend the run effectively?

Tied with BG for first with 3.7 yards per rush allowed.

Can they be passed on?

They are 3rd in the MAC in pass efficiency defense...50% completions, 9 TD/9 INT.  Only hole is they allow 12.5 points per reception.

Do they get off the field on 3rd down?

They are OK, 5th in the MAC. (39.7%).

Do they defend in the red zone?

They allow fewer than 3 trips per game and allow only 4.6 points per trip, both of which are good.

Do they pressure the QB?

They are 7th in the MAC in sacks.  They give up a lot of pass attempts, so it is only 4.2% of passing attempts, which is below average.

Special Teams:

Punting?

Did you say the #5 ranked defense in FBS?

They are 7th in the MAC in net punting...blocked once, no TDs allowed.

Punt Return?

They are 8th in punt return average.

Placekicking?

Sims has been inconsistent, getting votes of confidence, etc.  He's 15 of 23, but 12 of 14 inside 30 and 3 of 9 outside 40.  Long is 51, blocked once.

Kickoff?

They are 4th in kickoff coverage.  Allowed 1 TD.

Kickoff Return?

They are 3rd in KO returns, 1 TD and that's with Lewis missing a couple games.

Miscellaneous: Overall atmospherics and intangibles.

NIU is a very good team and the best team on BG's schedule this year.

The answers to the questions above show that.  And, NIU played a tougher West schedule than BG did.

That being said, if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best.  I believe that if BG plays its very best game, it can win this game.

Here's what Coach Elko said to Dave Hackenberg.

“Very few offenses have the firepower Northern Illinois does and very few defenses have accomplished the things our guys have by buying into team defense instead of making individual plays,” Elko said. “As a result, it’s like two freight trains headed at each other.”

What will it require?

• The MAC's leading defense to play as advertised for 60 minutes.  NIU has multiple weapons, and BG has to win the individual battles with them all.  Stopping Lynch is the first step.
• The BG offense to hit on all cylinders.  We can't have dropped passes and bad penalties.  BG's offense must consume time and put points on the board.
• BG is also going to need big plays like in the Buffalo game.

If BG plays its best game, we can win this game.  But this is a championship game, and anything less will not be enough, I fear.

Having said that, I'm proud of our guys and I can't wait to see them tomorrow night.  This has been a very good season and they have earned the right to play for the title.  I believe we are playing our best football and 100% believe that we can climb this mountain.